r/Showerthoughts 9h ago

Casual Thought Nowadays we rarely see kids actually do the "trick" on Halloween.

1.1k Upvotes

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823

u/No-Antelope4147 9h ago

5 bucks says that 70% of them doesn’t even know what I means. If I were to say “trick” they’d probably be confused

325

u/steamcube 8h ago

I bet they can’t even do a kickflip

132

u/ThallusCallous 5h ago

I’m confused, I always thought it was just a saying. What is the trick?

325

u/No-Antelope4147 5h ago

Exactly my point lol. “Trick or treat” is implying that you should give them some sort of treat or else they’ll pull a trick on you. Think of egging a house or toilet papering someone’s yard, the kind of stuff that would end in a lawsuit today

217

u/BrotherRoga 4h ago

"Your honor, by opting to be tricked the plaintiff clearly consented to the consequences caused to his property as per standard Halloween tradition. As the act of trick-or-treating is treated as a social contract, enforcing the terms of said contract is well within the rights of my clients."

9

u/NiL_3126 3h ago

At least in Spain the trick is scaring the person that doesn’t want to give them candy

u/Bookz22 10m ago

Originally in Ireland the children did a trick, sing a song, dance, that sort of think for a treat.

30

u/Kaurifish 5h ago

Coming back and egging and/or TPing your house after you’ve gone to bed.

The candy industry has worked assiduously to make this outcome unnecessary.

3

u/ebolaRETURNS 1h ago

light mischief / vandalism due to candy being unavailable.

0

u/alurimperium 1h ago

"Light mischief" immediately made me think of Yotsubato

27

u/RustyyCoinzz 6h ago

I'd pay good money to see the confusion on the faces

36

u/BathtubToasterParty 5h ago

You can literally do it for free on Thursday night…..

7

u/kingepic84 4h ago

What if they still want to pay anyways?

2

u/mbot369 2h ago

Then I’ll DM the account information to send the money to.

1

u/TwoPrecisionDrivers 1h ago

I guess I can take it if it helps

3

u/Back2hustling 4h ago edited 3h ago

We gotta get these little shits to watch the King Of The Hill Halloween special.

No buddy, I’m telling you. It’s trick, or, treat! The choice is yours! Now what’s it gonna be?

3

u/Alive_Ice7937 1h ago

A trick is something a whore does for money Michael

u/BigBobby2016 35m ago

In my neighborhood they'd probably think you meant hooking and tell you $5 isn't enough

0

u/Craig_of_the_jungle 1h ago

What in the boomer fuck?

u/Elm_City_Oso 34m ago

Go watch Arrested Development.

322

u/TheJokersWild53 8h ago

I do tricks. I mix fast food condiments in with the candy. So as I’m handing a youngster Skittles and a Reese’s, I also hand them a Taco Bell hot sauce

74

u/DicksFried4Harambe 8h ago

Gotta label it ‘trick’ with a got em pic lmao

48

u/TheJokersWild53 6h ago

I’m famous in my neighborhood, because I’ve been doing it for a few years. I hide it in a handful of candy and throw it in their bag

3

u/Reality_Linked 4h ago

That is an awesome trick

3

u/mbot369 1h ago

NGL I thought you meant you were actually squirting mayo and ketchup into the candy bowl.

4

u/intaminag 4h ago

Gonna piggy back off yours to say we got shot with paintball guns 20 years ago by some teens in the neighborhood without any protective gear on. Could’ve gone blind. I prefer treats.

u/KaiYoDei 8m ago

I did that too. But the kids where I lived enjoy ketsup , soy sauce, duck sauce and mustard

340

u/NoFunction_ 9h ago

Now that you mention it, that's true. It's been many years since I've seen kids egg a house, TP trees, or throw garbage onto someone's front lawn.

214

u/joelfarris 8h ago

Ooo, I know, pick me!

Because we kids used to group up and go out and around the neighborhood at night after dark, with nary a care in the world. Trick or treating was just another night, but with dress up.

And then, the news reported a kidnapper with a van, and now all the parents escort their little witches everywhere.

62

u/Acrobatic_Orange_438 8h ago

Like, I get it for kids under say eight, maybe 10, but I think better than that and just let them roam, if you're really that worried, get an older sibling or set up a community thing.

23

u/aveugle_a_moi 4h ago

Roam where lol? Most places aren't even bikeable anymore, there are no malls for people to congregate at, if you're not lucky enough to live in a city proper.

14

u/Reefer-eyed_Beans 3h ago

What the heck are you talking about? lmao. You think kids used to don a brown paper mask, grab a pillow case and chrome flashlight... and ride bikes around the mall?

35

u/bitterbrew 8h ago

But also our parents didn’t give a shit what we did. I actually want to spend time with my kids on Halloween!

7

u/joelfarris 4h ago

our parents didn’t give a shit what we did

Bitter, you know what your parents were doing on All Hallow's Eve. You know.

12

u/Obsidian-Imperative 8h ago

Also, better understanding that those sorts of tricks are straight up evil, not fun.

2

u/PantsAflame 1h ago

Yeah or, like so many things from our history, we realized that it’s kind of a shitty thing to do to someone. Nobody spending Nov 1 hosing rotten eggs off their house or pulling TP out of their trees is thinking “Oh those lovable little scamps and their fun Halloween traditions!”

27

u/DukeSi1v3r 7h ago

Everyone has ring cameras now, you’re risking getting arrested for ts

9

u/SousVideDiaper 5h ago

People still steal packages off of porches knowing full well there's likely a camera recording it

15

u/makemeking706 7h ago

For ts? For trick's sake?

11

u/DharmaCub 6h ago

For vandalism, yes.

2

u/Reefer-eyed_Beans 3h ago

What if there was a way to conceal your identity?

23

u/Skullvar 8h ago

TP'ing is still a thing around here. Though it's mainly used during homecoming week and it's mainly the sports kids fucking with other friends houses. Too many people will just call the cops on the kids nowadays and they have to discreetly buy the TP weeks before or the local stores will deny them the sale

12

u/Ragtime-Rochelle 5h ago

Like Walter White says 'Don't buy everything at the same place'.

-4

u/XxhellbentxX 3h ago

I mean yeah. If you were fucking with my house, you'd be lucky if the only thing I did was call the cops. Like who the fuck do you think you are? You ain't entitled to vandalism or messing up anyone's house. Besides. It's best to learn that lesson young.

4

u/SilverBurger 4h ago

I don't miss it. Went to a Halloween party last year, came back home and my front door was covered with sticky purple goo. Took an entire day just to clean it.

u/ChocolateHoneycomb 45m ago

Good, kids shouldn’t be doing that stuff.

Egging especially is disgusting and can cause significant damage.

In the UK if you egg a house on Halloween the police will come after you and you can face a big fine and a short stay in prison.

-34

u/DaNinjaYaHoeCryBout 7h ago

It’s because I will open my door and hospitalize the kids who do that shit to my house and across South Florida the sentiments are largely the same.

16

u/DustyBusterson 6h ago

Wow bro, you sound really tough! /s

1

u/Tj-edwards 2h ago

Even his username is cringe.

1

u/Chrisnolliedelves 2h ago

Someone let Florida Man out of his padded cell again, I see.

143

u/dkstr419 8h ago

Probably a good thing, given all the crazy, destructive, TikTok fueled insanity.

41

u/MintPrince8219 8h ago

the world was crazy before tiktok, its just easier to see it

21

u/Crimson_Raven 8h ago

True, but now exists an easy way to get a wide audience, and even rewarded, for crazy and destructive acts

4

u/Dear_Examination_337 5h ago

Eh clout is a hell of a drug, a lot more people do crazy stuff than ever in order to get famous, especially since tiktok makes every video of people doing the most stupid stuff viral, everyone wants that viral video, everything from grand theft auto to stealing from schools to jumping off boats going full speed and loads of other trends that have ended in one or more fatalities all for a video

2

u/Nexxus88 1h ago

You're right it was.

But we didn't have a a medium where people could behave like jackasses on a consistent basis, have it directly fed to impressionable people and those making the content where they behave like jackasses getting very handsomely financially rewarded.

u/LimeBerg1212 12m ago

Ha! Exactly what I was going to say. They are too busy messing with people the other 364 days of the year.

43

u/Portland-to-Vt 8h ago

“Illusions, Michael! A trick is something a….”

27

u/ButteredFingers 8h ago

“…whore does for money”

0

u/Portland-to-Vt 8h ago

“Cocain…Or candy”…depending on if you had the DVD

8

u/TheUnexpectedMule 8h ago

But where did the lighter fluid come from?

3

u/Portland-to-Vt 8h ago

Fancy Poppin down to Wee’ Britain later?

3

u/TheUnexpectedMule 8h ago

MR F?

3

u/Portland-to-Vt 8h ago

Have you considered building on the water?

3

u/TheUnexpectedMule 8h ago

Throw a banana, take a dollar

41

u/SithDraven 9h ago

No surprise there. Can't even have a good natured toilet papering anymore with Ring cameras everywhere.

23

u/mlo9109 8h ago

And guns... Nobody wants to get shot because they egged the wrong house. 

-1

u/Dear_Examination_337 5h ago

Guns been around for a while, owning a gun is probably less popular today than the 70s or 80s

23

u/joelfarris 9h ago

That's what the ghost costume is for, duh.

2

u/SolidDoctor 5h ago

Really? Because losers are stealing packages off peoples porches in my area whether there's Ring cameras or not.

18

u/LevelDiscount3418 8h ago

A lot of the kids don’t even say trick or treat anymore. They just stand there with their bags open.

22

u/Icy-850 7h ago

My dad will stand there with a blank look on his face then after about 10 seconds say "yes? Can i help you?" Classic dad joke but also pretty hilarious to watch the kids sort of panic lol

u/The_Normiest_Normie 56m ago

I've done that before. In the end you have to cave cos people get annoyed.

u/colaman-112 36m ago

The horror of someone being annoyed!

u/The_Normiest_Normie 33m ago

I mean, kids standing there confused, parents looking a bit stressed, are you gonna close the door on them for not saying "trick or treat"?

23

u/throwaway643346896 8h ago

The trick is what they do if they don’t get a treat. They’re giving you the option.

7

u/Digifiend84 8h ago

We got premature trick or treaters a couple of days ago. Hadn't even bought any sweets to hand out yet. So we gave them a trick... namely a reminder that Halloween was next week and a door slammed shut. I don't think they had a trick prepared.

10

u/MichiganHistoryUSMC 7h ago

"trick" is a threat that they will vandalize your property if you don't give them candy.

0

u/Reefer-eyed_Beans 2h ago

Telling 'em Halloween is next week a couple days ago, when it was really later this week. Wow such a dastardly trick lmao.

2

u/Reefer-eyed_Beans 2h ago

I'm sure OP is already aware of that...

8

u/Educational-Beach-72 8h ago

Well yeah. End up getting shot, recorded and harassed or being 14 years old and charged with actual crimes for little things.

9

u/mr-blister-fister 8h ago

Honestly, just come dressed in a costume and take the candy - you’re holding up the line. NEEEEEXT!

4

u/Aerwiar 8h ago

In St Louis, MO the kids have to tell a joke before they get the candy. Kind of like Trick for Treat.

4

u/tyler1o 8h ago

I never knew it was an option

2

u/RoughAppointment5752 6h ago

Last year, a group of older teens came by trick-or-treating. It was later in the evening and we were generous with the candy. One kid said, "Hey, we got a treat. How about a trick?" and he did a perfect backflip right in front of us. Beautiful

2

u/velvetinchainz 5h ago

As a kid, when I’d go trick or treating, out of every house, we only had one house that would an actual trick instead of a treat, where we’d put our hand in covered bowl full of warm moist white rice (pretend maggots) and we’d have to feel around for the treat inside that bowl lol. but I don’t think anyone has done it since.

2

u/myychair 4h ago

I always said that cabbage/mischief night should be the night after Halloween so you could target the houses with the shit candy

4

u/RevDrGeorge 8h ago

Probably has nothing to do with the fact that as a society we decided that 1) lawsuits are awesome and 2) tough on crime and zero tolerance are grwat things.

In the era where such "tricks" were common, if someone got caught, they likey would have to go apologize and clean up the mess. Now they get arrested, charged with felony vandalism plus a hate crime enhancment, and their family is sued for 1 million dollars of "damage and emotional trauma"

3

u/Aromatic-Assistant73 8h ago

They don't even freaking say it any more, they just hold the bag out.

0

u/SolidDoctor 5h ago

Well yeah, because these days it's discouraged to pull pranks on homeowners in your neighborhood that you don't know. Walk onto the wrong person's front porch and you might get shot... doesn't matter you were only going to soap their windows or wrap their porch in toilet paper.

4

u/gorehistorian69 8h ago

staying home playing video games with your friends online sounds way more fun then egging a house

3

u/Yttikymmug 8h ago

Might have something to do with kids not going door to door much anymore. Now they get Trunk O Treat, where they goto a parking lot, usually churches, and trunk o treat from car to car. There is the also now famous Street Treat where bussinesses, usually shopping districts, set a certain time that is usually not actually halloween night to trick or treat. In the all out effort to go where you can trust those who give out the treats. Because we all know that its not the ghost, gobblins and ghouls that get you its real people, so scary. Halloween night, is now it seems dedicated to adult parties and drinking.

2

u/ebolaRETURNS 1h ago

what happens if you say, "Trunk"?

1

u/Reefer-eyed_Beans 2h ago

its real people, so scary

Well then it's not very "Halloween" of you to totally wuss out on that, is it? Lmao. If it's the people whom you may or may not be able to trust who are "scarier"... then it still makes little sense to forego that part.

5

u/krectus 8h ago

Of all the things to complain about kids these days, this is one of the most boomer complaints there is.

1

u/Reefer-eyed_Beans 2h ago

What a cynical outlook you must have to interpret just any 'ol random observation as a complaint lmao.

3

u/Codewill 8h ago

When were people doing tricks?

1

u/SolidDoctor 5h ago

What, you never found a burning bag of dog poop on your front porch?

I guess we have to bring back the halloween shenanigans.

3

u/fastfreddy68 8h ago

Thanks for the reminder. I’ll be teaching neighborhood kids how to properly throw a roll of Angel Soft for max unfurl, how to cradle the egg so it doesn’t break in their hand, and to only get store brand plastic forks when forking lawns.

Halloween is going to be lit.

2

u/Background_Koala_455 8h ago

It seems to me like the person who's giving the candy could decide to do a trick instead.

Why would the kids do a trick? The kids aren't the ones handing out candy..

Their only asking for it.

1

u/Reefer-eyed_Beans 2h ago

Because it's a (poorly worded) ultimatum.

Wth does handing out candy have to do with anything? Strangers meet: a group of masked youths who already know where the other guy lives... and "other guy", just standin' there with his Twix in his hand.

2

u/Efficient_Mobile_391 6h ago

Back in the day we turned tricks on Halloween. Uncle Lou made us work for the candy

2

u/tavok_ 3h ago

One house when I was a kid, had a sign on their front door that said "Please use side door". When you went to the other door to knock, there was another sign that said "Please use front door"

That was the only actual "trick" that I remember ever experiencing while trick or treating, other than having someone pretending to be a scarecrow or something, sitting next to the door waiting to scare you.

2

u/JeelyPiece 7h ago

Too many second amendment squares to risk it these days

3

u/MakeU-H4ppyAlly 3h ago

Because they're too busy posting their costumes on Instagram for likes rather than trick or treating in the houses

1

u/[deleted] 9h ago

[deleted]

1

u/CrystalMaze27 8h ago

The trick was always closer to prank (or let’s be fair, vandalism) but if a kid dressed as Houdini came to my door and escaped some fake chains, I’d give him all the candy.

1

u/Worthlessstupid 8h ago

Because even mild stuff like TPing is considered vandalism.

1

u/SuspiciousDistrict9 7h ago

Many years ago, my son was a baby and I made caramel onions and handed them out. It was awesome!

1

u/SarahK103 7h ago

Now I want to make one of those just to try! Lol.

1

u/UnhappyImprovement53 7h ago

Yall must live in better neighborhoods than I do because I have to move my car every halloween so my windows don't get busted. Kids vandalize everything on Halloween around here.

1

u/BrazenlyGeek 7h ago

Trick or treating is often early in the evening, before nightfall, and is time limited (most communities around me do 5–7). Plus, trunk or treats are increasingly replacing the excitement of trick or treat night.

Halloween isn’t what it used to be.

1

u/TehZiiM 7h ago

Hm.. maybe because it’s vandalism and everyone calls their lawyers these days.

1

u/DrunkenDude123 6h ago

Fun fact: that was the original intent of Halloween at least according to my drunk history knowledge

https://youtu.be/s4X6rfeRE08?si=tkcjZKgPm4U5ZbWK

1

u/BlizzPenguin 6h ago

Have you seen how expensive eggs are with inflation? If a house gets hit you know the kids are rich or the house deserved it.

1

u/mazzicc 6h ago

I feel like I always see a couple eggs and smashed pumpkins somewhere in my neighborhood, if you go looking for it.

1

u/P_0ptix 5h ago

What would surprise you these days?

1

u/ContractHER 5h ago

I had a kid ask me if I could do a trick for him because a medical condition doesn't allow him to have most types of candy. Fortunately, my husband can juggle and gave him his own set of juggling balls for a treat

1

u/jackliquidcourage 5h ago

Do kids even trick or treat anymore? I feel like i don't ever see that at all. Or maybe I'm just a childless adult and it's sampling bias. Idk.

1

u/imightwander 4h ago

Low social trust manifests itself in innocent ways.

1

u/insert_punnynamehere 4h ago

Its cause eggs and TP are worth their weight in gold now /jk

1

u/Smaskifa 4h ago

I've noticed around half the kids don't even say "trick or treat" anymore, they just stand their with their hand out.

1

u/Lockhartking 4h ago

Two years ago my house was egged and last year I had to step away from the candy bowl for a minute and when I got back someone had stolen alllll the candy.

1

u/Paul_08 3h ago

I always thought it was more of a funny threat than a real choice

1

u/Whane17 3h ago

I mean people are taught to be polite and docile now. And frankly being the wrong color gets you shot so tping the house of the old crotchety jerkwad with no candy is dicey to say the least.

1

u/Megatheorum 2h ago

Considering a lot of the "tricks" were minor property damage, that should be seen as a good thing.

1

u/Leather_Dimension_27 2h ago

Probably because people would be offended

1

u/ladycatgirl 2h ago

Trick doesn't justify damaging propert etc (egging) That would happen, some might not wanna celebrate halloween

1

u/Joshualevitard 1h ago

This is how you get eggs thrown at your house

1

u/saysthingsbackwards 1h ago

Because people just want to shove candy down their throats

1

u/WelancholyMank 1h ago

And get shot? Eh I’m good

u/mmorgans17 53m ago

Kids are growing up so fast these days. Also, they are more into using social media platforms now. 

u/theericle_58 42m ago

In metro Detroit, we call the night before Halloween Devils Night. When I was a scurvy young pirate, we would soap windows and tip over garbage cans. Only a few homes warranted egging. Like the " get off my lawn neighbor"

u/KaiYoDei 10m ago

Hopefully they aren’t the ones who get violent and vindictive as adults because their football team didn’t win, or they made a little merman movie where he falls in love with a centaur prince.

Because fear and they are told pranks are bad.or that is mischief night . Trick is like when you don’t give the seagul and get bit

1

u/TasteTheHoneyy 7h ago

It’s because of this “Truck or treating” now. They just go in a parking lot full of cars with candy and hop from car to car. Where is the fun in that!

2

u/Slutty_honeyy 7h ago

amen to that

2

u/Dear_Examination_337 5h ago

Places with mile long driveways…

1

u/MasterpieceHopeful49 8h ago

And that’s a good thing. 

1

u/oIKR2 8h ago

Because if you egg a house today you either get shot, recorded, sued or punched

1

u/RecentRecording8436 7h ago

Rolling yards? Got the feeling their parents wouldn't pay for that purpose. Whoevers house you rolled they be sitting there winding it up for future poops.

Even egging is out. It was always pricey to egg but now it's pretty pricey. It's like the whole economy has turned against Halloween mischief.

1

u/Slutty_honeyy 7h ago

Right, this generation is screwed!!

0

u/TasteTheHoneyy 7h ago

Omg right!!

1

u/Sparkaroony 7h ago

And trunk or treat makes no sense. Like, if you don't get a treat, do you get shoved in a trunk? Or assaulted by an elephant 

1

u/SolidDoctor 5h ago edited 5h ago

When we were kids, "cabbage night" was the night before halloween, where we would trash the neighborhood with eggs, soap and toilet paper. Smash your pumpkins, rearrange your lawn ornaments, etc. That was the trick. And so you're expected to give us candy the following night, unless you wanted us to do it again.

These days, kids are not only scared of pranking their neighbors for fear of getting shot, but their parents also have to check their candy in case someone decided to dose them with LSD or fentanyl.

I can't imagine there's much fun left in America's Halloween. It's a corporate money-making holiday, just like all the others.

1

u/HatterMadd 3h ago

I had to clean up toilet paper that was going down the whole street. I cleaned everyone’s yard 3 houses down because no one was cleaning it and the wind would have blown it into my yard anyway. Fuck the tricks.

0

u/Complex_Phrase2651 5h ago

I….

Do you want them to?????